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Editor's Note: This is the second
installment in a two-part series of blog posts from social media
blogger Shira Lazar about how entrepreneurs can more effectively
use Google+ for business. Read the first installment
here.

In a recent interview with Brian Solis, a
principal analyst at research firm, Altimeter Group and author of
The End of Business As Usual , he told
me about why Google+ is already a useful tool for businesses,
even though a critical mass of Americans hasn't necessarily
glommed on yet.

Google+ is the fastest growing social network in history, says
Solis. But more to the point, he adds: "It's not just a social
network. Google+ will become a platform that connects all Google
products, essentially creating a personal or social operating
system for each individual."

Sounds like it will be big deal doesn't it? But to figure out how
entrepreneurs can use it most effectively now, I reached out to
some social media mavens for some tips:

Compartmentalize your content.
Segmenting and organizing brand fans, customers and influencers
can be useful for gaining insights and customizing relevant
content for your audience. Intel has taken advantage of circles
separating their community between "technology enthusiasts," a
"newsroom" and under the broad category of "life at Intel."

"Our followers to let us know which of our circles they'd like to
join, so that we can provide them with the right type of
information," says Jennifer Lashua from Intel's Social Media
Center of Excellence. In addition to obviously popular tech
content, we're finding that 'behind the scenes' footage seems to
be well received, as well as educational material," she says.

Experiment with hangouts.
Facebook has a Skype integration, which only allows for a one-way
video conversation. However, Google+ Hangouts is perfect for a
business that wants to connect live and interact with a bigger
audience. Movies like The Muppets have used
hangouts, as have bands like the Black Eyed Peas, who
had a hangout and Q&A with fans before going on stage during
a concert.

Even the Dalai Lama hosted a hangout with his
millions of fans with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Macy's offered
one that asked fashion bloggers to give advice to their
followers. But you might be asking yourself: I'm not a
rockstar or spiritual icon- how does this apply to me? No
matter who you are, hangouts allow you to get personal,
creative, interactive and put a face behind your brand.

Harness the power of Google.
The power to connect your brand or business to Google's search
engine is undeniable. The +1 button allows you to track who is
connecting and sharing your content across the web. According to
Christian Oestlian, head of social advertising at Google, it's
all about "marrying the power of personal recommendations with
the immediacy and power of recommendation on Google search." In
other words, say someone is searching for a café in their city.
Your brand could pop up if someone in their network had +1'd it.

Google+ ripples has also become a useful
tool to see how a post has spread throughout the social
network. Ian Schafer, founder of digital agency Deep Focus
adds: "Integrating with Google+ is essential right now,
because of its impact on Google search results.
Experimentation will give businesses (especially small ones) a
leg up on their competition."